Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 45: Goodbye to Nirvana

Taken a very, very, very, very long time to finally reach this point. Longer than I wanted. But I'm glad I did.

########Hunter########

"Zzzzzzzzzz."

Naruto's snore reverberated and rumbled through the hotel room as the bandaged blond turned and rolled around in the bed.

"Geez, Naruto is really loud." Lucy, dressed in a simple shirt and sweatpants with bandages over the exposed areas of her body, bemoaned as she watched the sleeping blond snore from a chair at the room's side. She turned in her lounge chair and looked over at the redhead looking over him diligently, "Does he always snore like this?"

"Not as much as he used to." Erza pointed out, her simple blouse and skirt joined by wrappings and gauze over her arms and legs with bandages over her cheeks and nose as well. She flinched from the soreness before leaning back in her chair for comfort, "He usually only gets like this now when he's so tired he can only focus on sleep."

"Well, I get why he's tired. But he's been sleeping for days now." Lucy tried to move her shoulders and tensed immediately when she felt a wave of pain and fatigue and soreness course through every muscle in her body. She froze and shivered a little before plopping down in her seat again and sighing, "Then again I can't really blame him. We've all been napping basically this whole time as well."

"Some more than others." Gray said from the other side of the bed as he looked over with contempt at the equally obnoxious snoring of the pink-haired man and his cat on the floor. He shook his head, "How the hell can they not hear each other? I feel these snores shaking through my sternum for god's sake."

Erza gave a faint smile while looking between the snoring trio, "They're remarkably heavy sleepers."

"Are you okay?" Erza turned back to address Lucy when she realized she had asked the question, "I mean you slept all last night in that chair watching over him, right? You're injured too. You need to rest just as much as him. If you want a bed to yourself then you can come to my room and stay in my bed if you want-"

"Thank you for the offer Lucy, but I'm fine. And I promise I'm not neglecting my own treatment or injuries." Erza reassured her blonde friend with an easy smile before her gaze moved back to her resting lover, "But I want to make sure his wounds don't act up or reopen while he's asleep. Also...I just want to make sure he's okay."

"Well you better be makin' sure you're okay too." Gray grumbled as he leaned on his fist and looked off through the balcony and out into the ocean, "We went though all that trouble to get you back. It'd suck if we got you here and we had to panic again some more."

"I'm sure you would worry about me." Erza gave a sweet smile and looked over to the raven-haired man, "Lucy told me about what you said in the boat on the way to the island. Gray...thank you for worrying about me that much."

Gray immediately realized what he had said so earnestly to Naruto and the others on the boat when they were rowing to the Tower of Heaven. His cheeks turned red with embarrassment as he groaned into hand and rolled his head back, "Ughhhhhh...you just had to find out about that."

"Awwwww, c'mon Gray, it was really sweet." Lucy cooed with a grin, "I knew behind that icy, constantly stripping exterior was a warm, gooey little interior."

"Hey behind the icy exterior is an icy interior! And don't ever think otherwise!" Gray growled out before his shoulders slumped in disappointment, "I shoulda know saying something like that was gonna bite me in the ass down the road."

"I'm still very touched you would say something like that." Erza assured her friend before she blinked and looked between them inquisitively, "By the way, what happened to that Water Mage that accompanied you? Juvia, was it?"

"Juvia?" Gray scratched his head, "She already left." The two ladies looked at him in surprise and he just shrugged in response, "I told her it'd probably do her some good to rest and recover from the fight but she said she didn't really get hurt at all so I couldn't argue with her. And I said if she waited we could bring her to Fairy Tail ourselves and introduce her to everyone. But she said that she wanted to do it herself. Something about facing up to her mistakes and seeing if she deserves to join the guild on her own. I don't see why she's so nervous. I bet Jii-San would let her in without a second thought."

"I think so too." Lucy agreed with his statement and grinned widely at the thought of seeing the former Phantom Mage again, "I hope she likes being at the guild as much as she hoped she would."

Erza nodded as well, "I think she would make a great ally and friend. This experience has definitely proven to me that we can trust her."

"I guess we'll find out when we get back to the guild." Lucy stretched out her arms and then looked around at her friends before asking, "When do you guys think we should head back? I mean Loke's tickets gave us a few days here for free but I'm actually feeling kinda homesick."

Gray nodded, "Second."

"I wouldn't mind heading home soon as well." Erza agreed before looking between the napping members of the group, "I suppose we can leave whenever these two finally wake up and don't exasperate their wounds."

"Well I'm fine but Naruto's the problem." They all looked over and saw Natsu had woken up and was shaking his head in pity for the blond. The blue cat in his lap grumbled tiredly before rolling off and slamming into the floor. Natsu crossed his arms and clicked his teeth, "I mean some guys just can't take their punishment I guess, huh?" He sighed with a smug laugh, "This is what he shoulda expected from stealin' my figh-GUH!"

Natsu's voice hitched and whimpered out when he felt the bandaged hand clamp around his neck. He looked up to see the recovering blond giving him a pointed glare and dangerous smirk. Naruto chuckled menacingly, "I heard you talking shit, Natsu~. Something you wanna say to my face?"

"Yep." Natsu returned with a smirk of his own as his hands shot up and squeezed tightly on Naruto's scalp. The Dragon Slayer bared his teeth and growled at the whiskered man, both men ignoring the state of their wounds as they wrestled each other, "I was talking about how you got your ass handed to you for taking my fight. I bet I would've handled it way better than you if I kept fighting."

"You'd be dead! A freakin' smudge on the floor!"

"Bullshit!"

Gray looked past the arguing duo and saw the same skeptical look he believed he had on Lucy and Erza's faces as well. He sighed and stood up, standing beside Naruto and Natsu as they kept struggling and ignored him. He slowly raised his hands by both of their ribs...

And gently flicked his forefingers out to poke them slightly.

"AHHH!"

"GAHH!"

Naruto fell back on the bed clutching his side while Natsu tumbled over and fell on top of Happy. There was yelling and groaning in pain before both men leveled a murderous glare at the Maker Mage, "Dick move Gray!"

"What the hell asshole?!"

"You two are asking me?" He questioned incredulously with a shake of his head, "You two fuckers are covered in bandages trying to keep your bodies together and make sure the things inside stay inside. Seriously! It was easier making a list of shit that wasn't broken between the two of you. And the first thing you do after waking up is start slinging shit. Are you serious?" He looked at Natsu critically, "You're squishing Happy."

"AH!" Natsu yelped as he quickly shuffled off the downed cat and cradled the unconscious feline. He shook him furiously, "Happy! Happy! Wake up buddy! Say something to me pal!"

"Natsu~." The cat moaned out before his eyes closed and his head fell back, "I wanted to have fish just one...last...time."

"NOOOOO!"

Gray looked back over at the blond and motioned to behind him, "And you know you should be saying something to the person behind you, right?"

...

Naruto stayed quiet and still for a moment...before turning in the bed to finally face the woman who had been by his side during his entire sleep. Naruto and Erza just stared at each other in silence, blue and brown eyes peering into each other again as the rest of the room just went quiet. The first to say anything was Naruto as a soft smile came over his face at seeing the redhead look so peaceful again, "Good morning."

Erza smiled back, "Morning."

"How'd you sleep?"

"Not as well as you I bet." Erza slowly got out of her chair and stepped up to the bed as she leaned down and quickly claimed his lips with hers. Their kiss only lasted a few seconds before she stood back up and cradled his head into her chest with a quick laugh, "I'm glad you woke up."

He closed his eyes and embraced Erza's warmth as he nodded, "I'm glad you were here when I did."

"Awwwwwww~." Lucy giggled at the affection between the two and swooned, "So cuuuuuuute~."

Erza and Naruto separated and looked between each other, light blushes on their faces before Naruto looked around the room. He felt his movement and body being restricted by tight wrappings and looked down to see bandages covering him almost head-to-toe. His body still hurt but considering the last thing he remembered was blinding pain, it was a definite improvement. He scratched his cheek in confusion, "So, how long was I out?"

"A little more than three days." Lucy answered, "You've been out like a light this whole time. We were really worried."

Natsu stood back up with Happy in his arms and shrugged his shoulders, "I wanted to keep drawing stuff on your face until you woke up but Erza got super pissed when I walked in with a marker. So I basically had no fun waiting for you to finally wake up."

Happy sadly shook his head, "I couldn't even feed you fish."

Gray put his hands in his pockets and relaxed into his seat, "So what was the last thing you remember before taking the long nap?"

"Ummm..." Naruto tilted his head and cupped his chin in thought. He racked his brain before recalling the last few things that happened before he blacked out, "I woke up after hitting Jellal and I saw..." He looked up and his eyes met Erza's as hers took on a tinge of guilt for the effect her last actions had caused. He crossed his arms and continued, "Everything went bright and I thought I lost you...but then the light just sorta started to fade again. And I saw you floating in the Lacrima unconscious."

Erza blinked, befuddled by his recollection, "The light...faded away?"

"Yeah. And I don't know how." Naruto shrugged his shoulder as his hands lowered to rub his achy leg, "The whole place started to shine and I thought I was going blind. But then the light disappeared for a moment and the Lacrima that you were stuck in just became a liquid again. I was able to reach in and pull you out before the light came back and the Tower just...disappeared around us." He looked up at Erza, "I then just started walking over the water with the last of my chakra and we reached the beach...and that's it."

The others looked between each other in confusion at the lack of answers to what happened. Lucy asked again, "So...you have no idea how the Tower didn't explode? Or how Erza survived in there?"

"Nope." Naruto shook his head, "But we survived. That's all that matters to me."

"I thought I died." Erza followed up as she crossed her arms under her breasts and recalled her experience in the magic vortex, "I found myself in a field of white light, warm and feeling like I was floating in the air. I saw my own funeral and how all of you would have handled my death."

Naruto looked up at her in surprise before looking around for confirmation from someone else about what she said. Gray nodded, "Yep. We thought she was in Heaven too. A pretty fucked up version of Heaven if you gotta watch your own funeral but probably Heaven."

"I don't know if it was Heaven, or a near-death experience, or if I was just hallucinating, but it seemed real at the time." Erza looked up from the ground before a confident smile came to her face, "But I'm here. And that's all that matters to me too."

The others smiled in glee at the redhead's statement as they knew they had won the hard battle. They were together again. They could go home.

Natsu cheered out loud, "Wooooo! The team's back together! I'm hungry guys! Let's go and destroy that all-you-can-eat buffet!" He started to the door, "Who's with me!"

"Aye sir!" Happy followed after him with a big grin on his face at the prospect of eating after a nice nap.

Gray followed behind with his hands in his pockets and Lucy stretched out one last time before joining after them. Naruto steadily dragged himself off the bed before flinching at the pain and stopping to take a breath. Erza stepped around the bed to his side and lowered herself to talk, "Are you okay? Do you need help?"

He shook his head and gently rubbed his ribs, "Nah, just hurt a little more than I realized. I'll be fine." He looked himself over once, fully taking note of the wrapping that covered him and the state he was in. He shook his head in disbelief, "And Kurama's chakra is healing me a little too. Holy shit." He slowly stood off the bed, taking his time to make sure he didn't strain himself as he looked at his girlfriend, "I must've been really messed up, huh?"

Erza nodded, "It was touch and go for awhile. We were all worried. Actually, we were all in pretty bad shape."

Naruto looked down at the redhead with worry, "But are you okay? I mean when you were in the magic did you get hurt or did anything else happen that-"

"I saw my parents."

The blond immediately went silent when Erza said something impossible. He looked at the warm smile and total serenity she was exuding as he asked, "W-what? What do you mean?"

"I mean I saw my mother and father on the other side." Erza's eyes wandered around as she recalled the meeting in that strange place, "They were there to greet me. To calm me down and tell me where I was. They...wanted to tell me how proud they are of everything I've done. And how sorry they were that they couldn't be there when I was growing up." She looked up at him and smiled, "My mother is very fond of you."

Naruto was still blindsided by this revelation but he couldn't help the smile that came over his face to hear that, "She is?"

"Yes. And my father...thought about you a lot." Erza carefully moved a strand of hair out of her eyes as she looked aside with fondness at the brief encounter with her parents, "I was ready to give up...I...I thought it was the end. But they...they pushed me back. They encouraged me to live as long as I can. To live doing what I love to do with the people I love. And promised that if we ever met again..." Tears filled the sides of her eyes and spilled down her face before she wiped them away and smiled, "That we could make up for lost time then. But only after I live my life to the fullest."

...

She felt something brush against her cheek softly and looked up to see Naruto wiping away another tear going down her cheek. His hand rested against her cheek and he gave her a warm smile before a big grin took its place, "They sound just as awesome as I thought they would."

Erza smiled and squeezed the hand holding her, "I thought so too."

The two lovers stood together in a comfortable silence before the redhead's eyes opened again. She lowered his hand and looked up at him with a tinge of something in her eyes. He waited in silence before she finally asked, "Naruto...what should we do about the others?"

########Hunter########

"WOOOOOOOOOOW!" Milliana's eyes widened and sparkled in amazement as she looked around at the boardwalk that was filled with people and special booths to play at. The cat fanatic had changed out of her usual outfit into a pink tank top and short pants to better enjoy the new breezy surrounding. She gasped and brimmed with joy, "I've never seen so many people just walking around doing nothing! This is so cool! Guys, lets keep looking around!"

"Milliana, you have to slow down. Shō has to keep up."

Milliana turned around and smiled apologetically before scratching cheek, "Oops. Sorry Shō."

"It's all right." The blond teen responded as he slowly followed after her with crutches under each armpit to keep him up. His right pant leg had been tied up and knotted to where his leg had been cut off. The dark-skinned boy stepped up to his friend's side and gave a small chuckle, "I might be a little slower but I can keep up at my own pace. You guys can go ahead if you want."

Wally and Simon came strolling up to his side as the former gunner shook his head, "Nah man, doesn't work like that."

Simon's large hand rested on his shoulder, conveying a smile though his eyes, "We'll stay by your side, no matter what."

Shō gave a grateful smile to his friends that stayed beside him and helped him through the effort. It...felt strange not having a leg anymore. It didn't feel real. Like he could still feel it even now. Moving his toes. Turning his foot. Like the sensation was still there. But the flesh wasn't.

The doctor that treated him said it was called phantom limb. And that the sensation would linger for a while as he grew accustomed to the realization that it was gone. But hopefully with Simon and the others around, it'll be easier.

A strange, alluring aroma filled his nostrils and immediately got his attention as he sniffed around for it. He felt his stomach rumble and turn in hunger, "Do you guys smell that?"

The others sniffed the air and quickly noticed the delicious scent that started to run over them. The corners of Milliana's mouth started to tremble with desire before her eyes immediately focused on a stand where delicious food was being made and other patrons were picking them up happily. The cat girl's eyes focused before she quickly made off to grab some, "Over there!"

"Milliana, wait up!"

The former slave didn't wait at all as her curiosity took control and guided her movements on instinct. She arrived at the stall and found several little plastic containers with yellow sticks coming out of them. She looked at them curiously but the smell was so enticing that she quickly picked a few up and ate them. Her eyes became stars and she moaned in delight, "Mmmmmmm! So good~!"

The others came up behind her to try and stop the excited girl from doing anything that might cause trouble, "Milliana, we told you to slow down. We all can't keep up with your speed."

"Guys! Guys! You have to try these weird little sticks!" She offered them up to her friends, "They're the tastiest thing I've ever eaten!"

Wally looked at the food with intrigue as he also felt compelled to try them, "R-really?"

"Hey!"

The group of former slaves flinched and looked over to see the owner of the stand glaring and calling out to them, "You can't just take my fries, kid!"

"I can't?" The young teen looked at the snack she had grabbed and tilted her head, "Then why were they just lying out there to take?"

"They're for sale, not just to take!" He waved them back over, "If you want them, you need to pay for them! Hand over the cash!"

"Cash?" The quartet looked between each other in confusion at the unfamiliar term.

"Oh!" Shō gasped in realization as he nodded between them, "I think 'cash' is that stuff Nee-San used when we were finished getting helped by that doctor."

"Oooooooooooh~."

...

Yeah they didn't have any of that.

Wally stood back up and laughed nervously while facing the glaring stand owner, "Uhhhh, listen man...we...don't have any 'cash' with us right now, buuuuut we're really grateful about the tasty food! I bet it's delicious!"

"I'm calling the authorities."

"Wait don't!"

Milliana furrowed her eyes in annoyance and prepared to ensnare the rude man in her magic tube before Simon's hand grabbed her arm and shook his head.

Things were about to go pear-shaped-

"Here you go. And three more please."

The former slaves and stand owner looked aside to see Erza, Naruto, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Happy all standing together and watching the scene play out. Erza had offered the cook some jewels and the man grumpily snatched it from her hand before handing her three more pouches with fries. She turned back to her oldest friends and handed the boys each one of the pouches of fries, "You guys really seem to be enjoying the new surroundings, huh?"

"Er-chan!" Milliana cheered happily when she saw the redhead again and helped her keep the delicious new treat. Except her attention immediately moved to the upright blond and she quickly dove into him and hugged him tightly, "Na-chan! You're awake! I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Yeah my insides are kinda gooey but all's well." He returned the girl's enthusiastic hug with a big grin on his face, "I'm glad to see you too."

The young brunette nuzzled into the blond's chest and treasured the warmth again after such a long time apart. She never wanted to let him go...

Until something else got her attention.

"Ah! Kitty!" The cat girl released herself from her oldest friend as her short attention span immediately focused on the floating blue cat she only got to cuddle with for several hours. She rubbed cheeks with Happy with a big smile, "I missed you most of all! Be mine forever!"

"Noooo!" Happy struggled in the girl's arms and waved his paws around wildly, "I'll never be yours, crazy lady! I'm a free cat!"

Milliana smiled and offered the cat some fries, "Want a snack?"

"Aye!" He grabbed a few fries and started feeding on them as he let Milliana snuggle and hug him as much as she wanted. He was a free cat but he could easily be bought with delicious food.

Natsu waved to the former gunner with a grin on his face, "Hey block guy, you aren't still feeling sore from me whoopin' your ass, right?"

"Nah, I'm good kid." Wally responded with a pound of his chest, "I'd be more worried about you, considering that shot in your mouth was supposed to actually put you down. Um...sorry about that, by the way."

"It's cool." Natsu pulled the corners of his mouth and showed off his sharp teeth, "I breathe and eat fire. It's gonna take way more than a point-blank shot to put a hole through it."

"Never thought I'd hear that said to me so seriously."

"You both look like you're healing up very well." Gray and Lucy greeted Simon as the Darkness user took note of the fewer bandages that covered their bodies since he had last seen them. The scarred man bowed his head towards the both of them, "I'm sorry to involve you all in this fight, but I am extremely thankful that you could help my friends when they needed it."

"No problem." Lucy responded with a smile to try and relieve the larger man of some of his guilt, "But if you ever want our help again, you can totally just come up to us and ask."

"Yeah. We would like to avoid anymore kidnappings and chases." The Maker Mage joked before looking at the bandages the former slave sported, "What about you, man? Gonna be expecting any more scars to add to the collection?"

"Gray!"

"No, it's all right." Simon looked himself over and seemed unsure about the idea himself, "I won't know until the gauze comes off. But if I do then I don't mind." The corners of a smile came up from the remnants of the metal jaw that still stuck around his chin, "A few scars are a much better alternative to being stuck in that hellhole any longer. If I got scars from a battle to bring the Tower of Heaven tumbling down, I will happily wear them like a badge."

"Well said."

"Shō, how are you doing?" Erza asked as she spared a look down at the severed leg her little brother was supporting now. The guilt and worry in her voice was obvious as she panicked that her friend might be in pain because of her.

"It's very strange." Shō answered while looking down and moving his leg a little to show off his stump. He gave a small shrug, "It...stings a little. I don't know quite how to explain it properly."

"Shō, I'm so sorry." Erza apologized with a sad look in her eyes directed to her friend, "If I was stronger and could have held myself against that assassin woman sooner, you wouldn't have had to pay such a steep cost. And I couldn't even do anything to help you at the time beside...hurting you again."

"No way!" The younger man denied with a furious shake of his head as he reassured the redhead, "Nee-San, the doctor said that if you didn't seal the wound when you did, I would have died within moments." He reached out and grabbed one of her hands and gave it a little squeeze to convey his thanks to her, "You saved my life again, Nee-San. It's thanks to you that we're all able to walk out here now. You saved all of us."

Erza felt a smile come over her face before she felt an arm circle around her shoulder and give her a quick hug. She looked up to see Naruto smiling and nodding to her that it was okay. She looked around and noticed the others were all looking towards them with content smiles on their faces as well. She smiled before she looked back to Shō, "I'm glad you're all here now."

The other former slaves smiled and the Fairies agreed with huge grins on their faces.

Naruto looked between all of them, "So, what have you guys been doing since we got back?"

"We've been getting more accustomed to our surroundings." Simon answered, "We've seen films and documents about the outside world, but this is so much more amazing now that we're in it."

"There is so much tasty food." Milliana stated as she held up her pouch of fries, "This is some of the best food I've had in forever!"

"Yoink."

"Ah! Na-chan!" The young girl whined out as the blond nicked some of her snack and started eating without hesitation. She ran up and started waving her arm around to try and stop him from eating, "Stop it! Those are mine!"

"Which we paid for. Meaning they're ours too."

"Noooooo~."

Wally looked around in intrigue at their surroundings, "There are so many people and colors to this place. It's a little overwhelming."

"You should see some of the towns. They have massive buildings and the streets are filled with people."

"We were thinking about that." Shō said as he settled in his spot with his crutches, "We wanted to see more of the outside world but we didn't know where to go. Or how'd we do it without this 'cash' stuff. We don't know what we should do next."

"Why don't you guys join Fairy Tail?"

The former slaves all looked towards Natsu as the Dragon Slayer hooked his hands behind his neck and grinned, "You guys seem like fun. And if you wanna get paid and go places then Fairy Tail is perfect for that."

"We've been thinking about that too." Erza stated as she looked between her friends with a kind smile, "Shō. Simon. Wally. Milliana. Do you want to come back with us? And join the Fairy Tail guild as well?"

The group of four were startled by the sudden offer, and looked between each other like they were expecting one of them to have an answer. Shō and Milliana's eyes immediately seemed heavy and shamed, getting the attention of Naruto and Erza almost immediately.

"Thank you for the offer." Simon stepped forward and got all of their attention, "And we are grateful. But...we are still trying to grow accustomed to this world. Can you give us some time to think about that offer?"

"Of course." Naruto said with a smile, "It's open as long as you want. You guys can take your time."

Simon nodded gratefully, "Thank you."

"Okay! I say we all go play around at the booths and get something to eat!" Natsu exclaimed as he grabbed Lucy and Wally by the wrists and ran towards the booths, "C'mon! We're going to the shooting booths! C'mon Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

"W-wait, Natsu! Let go!"

"Shooting booths?"

"Yeah! They're a ton of fun! Let's check 'em out!"

Gray wrapped an arm around Shō and Milliana's shoulders before walking them towards the booths, "C'mon you two. I'll show you how to play the games where we catch balloons and goldfish. I'll even by you two a cat mask."

"Really! Thanks weird shirtless guy!"

"Where'd your clothes go?!"

Simon watched as the group of Fairies led his friends off to play at the fair grounds. He stumbled when a firm palm hit his back and looked over to see Naruto giving him a huge grin. He chuckled, "Simon, I'm gonna introduce you to a wonderful little treat called ramen."

The larger man looked down in confusion, "Ramen?"

"Food of the gods, buddy."

Erza stepped forward with an ambitious glint in her eyes, "I wonder what kind of pastries and desserts they sell here~." A joyful smile came over her face at the prospect of new treats to look for, "As members of Fairy Tail it's a privilege of ours to travel to new places and experience the delicacies they have to offer. So we can not let a chance like this pass us by!" Her mismatched eyes focused with intent before she quickly ran down the pathway, "To glory!"

Simon was surprised by the redhead's eagerness as he looked back down at Naruto toothy grin. The blond laughed a little more before motioning after them, "C'mon man...time to see the world for yourself."

########Hunter########

"Mmmmmmmmmm~."

The beautiful woman moaned as she stretched out her arms and enjoyed the sensation of the hot bath water soaking away all of her stress. Any tension or soreness was completely washed away and she found bliss in the moment of tranquility as the suds washed her naked form. She slid down in the tub and let her long curtain of ebony hair float on the surface of the water for a moment.

Her head emerged and she felt the warm water drip down to her chin as she relaxed into her peaceful bath, "I haven't felt this relaxed in ages~. Now that all that silly responsibility and work you forced me into is gone, I feel more at peace than ever before."

"That may just be the feeling of doing a good job."

"You think?" She mused with a crooked smile before rolling her head back on the edge of the bathtub, "Then maybe I should think about toppling government buildings and political operations more often, hmm?"

"Possibly. Although considering we are so close to achieving our goal, we can not afford to waste out time clearing up the rest of the worthless garbage that is not even in our way. So I would suggest against any such actions for now, Ultear."

"If you say so." The traitorous Council member abandoned the half-joke as she rubbed along her arms to clean them. She sent a lazy look over to the Lacrima she was communicating through, "Tell me, Hades-sama, any more silly errands you want to send me on? Or is my assignment finally over?"

"I would say that you've done your job, child. The Council is running around like chickens without heads and the royal court will be coming down on them like a plague for firing Etherion to no avail. They will be preoccupied for quite some time, keeping us out of their eye for now."

"Right." Ultear raised one of her smooth legs out of the water and ran her hands along its length to wash it. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she added, "If the Tower of Heaven had exploded and ruined the living conditions for the coast like we had expected, the Magic Council could have been disbanded completely for the tragic loss of all those lives. Unfortunately...an intrusive third party had to rear its ugly head at the last moment." She whined as she pouted, "I've been helping make that stupid tower for eight years and I was expecting some kind of spectacle when it caved in on itself. Instead of a lasting blast that damaged the world, we got a pretty light show and a small scar in the ocean."

"Were you expecting anything less from the Fairies?"

"Not really." Ultear reluctantly agreed as she propped her head on her hand, "But I was expecting at least one of them to die. A few of them were outmatched by their opponents. And they even beat Jellal." She seemed disappointed by that reminder and shook her head, "I spent so much time manipulating his emotions and making him obsessed and driven by his former friends. And you had sent special teachers like Brain to train him and cultivate the perfect puppet. And in the end he didn't even kill one of them. Don't get me wrong it was quite entertaining seeing him smack and beat his former companions into the ground but I still feel robbed."

"And you are certain your connection with him has been severed?"

"All that fluctuating magic and unstable Ethernano muddled with my control and the connection was lost. It was gone at the last moment. And I suspect that he's the reason the Tower of Heaven didn't go up in a blaze of glory." Ultear's hand rested on her chest just above her bountiful breasts as she gave an easy shrug, "He might still be alive. He's more than likely dead. But I can positively say he's not our problem anymore."

"I suppose you are right. No matter. We created him with a purpose in mind, and to a degree he completed that task to completion. In the end he helped us towards our goal."

"Speaking of our goal..." Ultear looked towards the Lacrima, "Do you expect Fairy Tail to intervene with our plans again when we decide to take action?"

"I believe Fairy Tail will always be a form of opposition that stands between our goals when they are so close. But it will not matter. We shall take care of them when the time comes."

"Watch yourself." Ultear warned with a wry smile, "I think Azuma and Zancrow can best attest to the fact that underestimating them always leads to pain."

"Zancrow was the only one underestimating. Azuma went charging into the fight, fully aware and prepared for the worst. But now they are both healed and Azuma is eager to test his replacement limb out in battle. And just so you are aware, I will not underestimate Fairy Tail. I, more than anyone, am aware of their stubbornness and how prone they are to interfering."

"But?"

"But even so...we will crush them. When the time comes and we find ourselves standing across from each other on the battlefield we will crush their heads beneath our boot without mercy or regret. When the time comes...and if Fairy Tail chooses to stand between us and our goal...it will be the last thing they do."

Ultear stayed stoic for a moment before a delighted smile grew and she nodded, "I can't wait."

"Return to us soon. Until then..."

The Lacrima disconnected and Ultear found herself alone in the bathroom again. The Dark Mage turned in the bathtub and looked out through the window that viewed the ocean as she enjoyed the moment of silence.

"Ultear?"

She looked over her shoulder, "Yes?" The door opened up and her young pink-haired companion walked in with a towel draped over her arms. Ultear sat up in the bath and let her upper body emerge from the water before smiling, "Meredy, thank you for bring my towel."

The younger girl blushed at the sight of Ultear's exposed body as her cheeks went pink with embarrassment. She went to place the towel by the bath's side to make it easier for the bathing beauty as she seemed too timid to meet eyes, "Here you go. I'll be waiting outside when you're done-"

"I'm done now actually. Give me a moment." Ultear stood out of the water completely and Meredy seemed surprised by the exposure as the older woman stepped out completely. Her voluptuous hips swayed before she grabbed the towel and started drying her long hair. The beautiful woman then hung the towel around her neck and stared out at the ocean with a fond smile at the scenery, "Never got a view like this in Era."

Meredy hesitantly looked up from the ground and at the older woman's back, seeing the crest of their guild tattooed to her back as her hair came over her shoulders.

The young Dark Mage felt very nervous and anxious around her dearest friend's presence again. She was so unbelievably happy that she could cheer if she didn't know that was just a stupid thing to do. She had trained herself and conducted her mannerisms in a way that she could always stay focused and ready for a task. She didn't need to constantly display emotion because at any moment she needed to kill them off to complete her job. That was the method she had created for herself so she could always be of the most use to Ul.

But-

"-you were screaming for someone to help you! Someone you love, right?! Would they be happy knowing you sacrificed your life like this?!"

For some reason her mind retreated back to that encounter she had with her blond enemy not too long ago. The man that slapped her and told her that she was scared as he shed her tears. And that the person she cared most in the world for wouldn't be happy with what she was doing to herself.

He was wrong. She wasn't afraid. She was prepared to give her life at any time to help Ultear. She was reminded that now more than ever. And that time may come soon with their plans coming to fruition.

But still...after so long...

Ultear kept staring out at the ocean before she let out a little gasp at the tight hug coming from behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Meredy hugging her tightly with her face buried in the curve of her back. The Arc of Time Mage blinked in surprise before mentioning, "Um, Meredy, I'm still wet from my bath. If you keep hugging you'll get soaked too."

"I missed you." Meredy muttered quietly as she hugged a little tighter to get closer to the woman that meant the world to her, "I'm glad you're home now, Ultear."

...

A fond smile came over the Dark Mage's face as she turned around in the hug and held Meredy close to her chest. She ran her hand over the pink hair and ornamental headpiece, "I missed you too. You did so much while I was busy with that job, didn't you?" Meredy didn't give a response but her arms did squeeze a little tighter as Ultear smiled, "Don't worry my sweet girl...our dream world will come to life soon enough."

########Hunter########

"Do you think we have enough supplies?"

"Enough to last us for a while, hopefully." Simon said as he hefted a large crate of food and supplies onto the boat. He looked back at the others as they each carried their own bag of necessities for travel, "We won't be on the water for long. Just enough to get to another port or town."

Milliana slid her bag under the corner of the boat before jumping in and plopping down in her seat. She looked up at the sky dreamily and smiled, "You think we'll find somewhere we can stay?"

"Definitely." Wally answered as he took off his hat and glasses and tossed them in, "I bet we could earn some of that money stuff the others were using if we use our magic to help people."

Shō limped up to the boat and nodded, "I think we could do a lot while we're traveling. It's been so long that everything feels new."

"It really is."

...

There was a moment of silence between them before Milliana looked up with sadness in her eyes, "Do we really have to leave without saying anything?"

The others seemed just as saddened by the idea as the feline enthusiast was before Simon spoke up, "Yes. If we saw them again I don't think I could leave. And I'm certain I wouldn't be able to do it without crying. None of us would."

They had to agree with him on that point. They'd probably break down balling and never want to leave their side again if they had to say goodbye.

"They're strong. They'll understand when they wake up." Simon reassured his friends, "We need to channel some of that strength so we can..."

Simon went silent. The others looked back to see what was wrong and got their answer when they saw Naruto standing on the beach with his hands by his side and a stern look on his face. The group of freed slaves stood around in silence before Naruto asked, "Did you really think we wouldn't notice?"

Erza slowly walked down the beach from behind him and stopped in front of her friends as well, "We've been in the exact same situation all of you are in right now. A fork in the road before us, and trying to decide which way we will take. But it seems like you all have already made your decision."

"Didn't know the offer to come join our guild was so unappealing to you." Naruto said with a light smile, "Enough that you guys won't even say goodbye to us."

"That's not it!" Milliana jumped from the boat and shook her head adamantly, "We aren't mad and we don't wanna leave without seeing you again! I-it's just-"

"Erza. Naruto. We're honored that you would invite us to join your guild." Simon said, "And maybe someday we'll take up that offer and join you all. But right now..."

"I want to go and find my sister."

...

Wally nodded, "I don't know if my brother is still alive, but I want to try and look for him. And if he isn't then I want to at least try and find closure with it."

Milliana hummed and gave a small smile, "I always wanted to see what mountains look like. And forests. And something called snow!"

Shō stepped forward and looked between the two Fairies, "We've been in that place for most of our lives. And during that whole time we imagined what we would do when we got out and could see the world for ourselves. Even past what Jellal told us and the world we were allegedly trying to build, there were places we wanted to go and things we wanted to do. And now we have that freedom. It might be hard but...we want to experience it ourselves."

...

Erza and Naruto silently looked between each other as content smiles came over their faces. The blond sighed and started to walk up to them, "Well whatever your reasons were or what you were trying to avoid doesn't matter to me."

He walked up to Milliana first and caught her in a big hug that caught the girl by surprise. He smiled and hugged her closely, "You don't get to leave without saying goodbye first."

Milliana's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden entanglement before her they softened and started to water. She returned the hug with a sad smile as tears started coming down her cheeks, "I love you Na-chan."

"I love you too Milliana." He petted her hair with a chuckle, "When you're in the mountains and snow make sure to wear warm clothes. They get really chilly."

"Okay."

Erza walked up to Simon and Wally as the two taller men turned back to her. She hugged the scarred man first, feeling his massive arms fold over her back as he treasured her closeness for the short time he had it. They separated and she stood across from Wally, the former gunman showing her a shallow smirk before they embraced as well. They separated and she looked between both men, "I hope you both find your families. And if you want, you can stop over in Magnolia any time you wish. We're holding a festival there in a few weeks. I'm sure it would be something you'd love to see for yourselves."

"Thank you."

"Thanks Erza."

Naruto and Shō separated and the whiskered man clapped his brother on the shoulder, "While you're traveling, look to see if you can be fitted with something called Reformation Metal. It can help with the loss of your leg."

"Reformation?" Shō asked before giving a small nod, "The doctor said something like that when she talked about rehabilitation. Would it work?"

He nodded with a grin, "Trust me. It'll help. A little weird at first but you'll get used to it."

Naruto stepped back and over towards Simon and Wally as Erza took his place. She stood in front of the youngest members of the group as tears started filling both their eyes. Her eyes started to water too but she put up a strong smile and brought them both in for a hug. She felt them lean further into her body as she whispered to them both, "Be safe. Both of you. Keep an eye out for each other and make sure you keep Simon and Wally in line, okay?"

"Mmhmm."

"You got it, Er-chan."

"And when you're traveling, make sure to stop over in a town called Viola. That's where Rob-jisan is buried." The two teens looked at her in surprise as she smiled, "I bet he would love to get a visit from all of you."

They nodded and wiped their eyes clean of tears before returning the redhead's smile. They looked back to see Naruto finishing up with Simon and Wally as they all walked over to the boat.

Milliana and Wally jumped in first, helping Shō store his crutches before assisting him into his seat. They sat down and prepared to move as Simon and Naruto each grabbed a side of the boat. The two started to push against the sand and slide the vessel back until it finally hit water. They pushed further along the shore before Simon jumped in as well and Naruto gave one last push before letting go. The boat drifted off the beach and the group of freed slaves sent one last look back at their friends who watched from the shore. It was silent-

Natsu: "READY-"

Gray: "SET-"

Lucy: "GO!"

Happy: "AYE SIR!"

There was the sound of something flying high up into the air before the noise slowly disappeared...

*BOOM*

A beautiful explosion of lights and fire brightened the sky as fireworks above them. The traveling group looked up in surprise at the sight of them before where one had exploded, dozens more followed suit. Soon enough the sky over the shore and sea was ablaze with light and fireworks that got everyone's' attention for miles.

Further up the sand Lucy set up a row of fireworks and let Happy sail under them with a match to set the up to go. Gray and Natsu stood off to the side and created their own fireworks, shooting their magic up into the sky and letting them expand in a show of beauty.

The former slaves looked on in amazement as the various colors and sounds brightened up the night sky along with the stars. It...was so beautiful. More wonderful than anything they had seen in the confines of that place. They were speechless before looking back down to the shore.

Erza stood on the beach with a firm stance, a mix of joy and sadness on her face as tears came from her eyes. She gave a shaky smile and wiped the tears away before sending them off with a laugh and wave.

They spotted Naruto, still standing in the water as tears also filled his eyes too. He grinned and laughed a little before calling out to them, "GUYs! REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU! WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU'RE FINALLY FREE!"

They knew.

Of course they remembered.

They repeated the words he told them so many years ago over and over in there heads like it was a promise. An impossible dream they would never truly be able to achieve. But here they were...away from the clutches of slavery and set out to see the world for themselves...

They smiled.

They laughed.

And they cried. Because it finally happened.

They let the tears fall and they cried out with smiles, waving goodbye to their friends with hope they would meet again soon.

Their hell was destroyed.

And they were all free.

########Titania and The Hunter########

Done

Whelp...this has been a long time in the making.

I know a few of you were maybe looking forward to some more Naruto and Erza moments considering what happened last chapter, but I was focused to finish things up here before going into that.

I promise it will be addressed. In two chapters. Next one is just something I need to do to unwind from all the crazy tension and seriousness that has gripped the story for months now. People were all worried about me mixing any comedy during the drama and heartbreaking. Well the seriousness is done...

And I shall dive into some lightheartedness next chapter.

Except the next chapter won't come out any time soon. Need a break for a little bit. Not from writing. Just gonna let this baby cool down a little. Work on other things.

Now I want to finish up...but...there's one last thing that needs to be addressed.

########Epilogue########

"Holy fucking shit! GAHHHHH!" The man cried out in agony as he covered his ears from the horrendous, mind-numbing sound that bombarded his eardrums, "What fucking morons are shooting fireworks off now of all times?! God dammit!"

The scantily-dressed young woman beside him looked from one side of the beach to the other trying to see what he was referring to. She looked at the man shivering in agony and shook her head, "What are you talking about? I don't see fireworks anywhere around here."

"Don't need to see it! I can hear it!" He yelled back uncomfortably before a large, scaly body raised up over his ears and a heavy weight rested on his shoulder. His eyes opened up again and he found the large purple snake head resting on his shoulder as it used part of its body to shield his ears. The effect was minimal as the blast of fireworks still rang through his eardrums like a stampede of raging bulls, but it was the thought that counted. He gently ran his hand along the snake's head, "Thanks for the assist Cubellios."

The woman beside him groaned and gagged in disgust, "God, you and your fascination with that snake gets weirder and weirder every time I see it. I swear one of these days I'm afraid I'll walk by and find you trying to do things with it or-"

"Shut the fuck up you bitch." He carelessly stated while still rubbing the snake's head affectionately, "If I gave a shit about your worthless opinion I would ask you for it."

"Oh~, well excuse me." She chided, "I guess you and her will just live happily ever after in your sick little beastiality paradise. Can't wait to see how that plays out." She smirked jokingly, "I know you can't get poisoned but I bet it'd be entertaining seeing you get a snake bite on your-"

"That's enough. Both of you." A third voice interjected their worthless squabble as a tall man walked past them with his staff piercing against the sand beneath them. He spoke firmly, "I brought the both of you here because I needed assurance that this deal would go along without a fault. Yet all you've been able to do so far is bicker, gripe, and shorten my patience."

"Well what did you expect asking us out here?" The woman whined as she fiddled with her hair as it kept getting frayed by the sea air, "I would've like to at least come to the beach in more appropriate attire. If you wanted more quiet company why didn't you bring Midnight? He would have loved sitting here doing nothing with you."

"And I just hate waiting for these people." The younger man stated with a scowl, "You know how much I hate talking with them. I swear to god if that wannabe rocker shows up here and starts shrieking out like a banshee again, I'm gonna rip out his fucking throat and bleed him in front of his friends."

"Let's keep your hypothetical exsanguination to yourself for now, Cobra." The other man answered before looking at the woman, "And to answer your inquiry, Angel, I expected a modicum of professionalism from someone like you. And as sure as I am that Midnight, Racer, or even Hoteye would have been more suitable for this task, they all have other assignments at the moment. You two on the other hand were free of work, so I made you follow. Now stay quiet until-"

"They're here."

The older man turned back around and caught sight of a scraggly-haired assassin and his scowling pink-haired apprentice approaching from the sands. The man carried something over his shoulder before the duo arrived in front of the group of awaiting Dark Mages. He gave a quick bow, "Hello, Brain-sama. I hope we didn't keep you all waiting."

"Actually-"

"It is fine, Danzō." The man interrupted before his younger companion could make a snarky, horrid remark. He faced the hired assassin and spared a look towards the only member of the group that followed him, "I was under the impression that the rest of your cell would be joining us tonight."

"Unfortunately they are not in the best condition." The ninja said with a lazy smirk, "Fukurou is nursing a serious case of freezer burn though his elbow and Vidaldus is experiencing a crisis with the loss of his hear."

"Fucking hell." The Dark Mage said from behind them as he covered his ears in shock, "I'm pretty sure if I try hard enough I can hear him crying. God, he's a whiner."

"Indeed." The Death's Head Caucus master turned towards his only able-bodied subordinate, "Ikaruga was the only one physically able to make the trip here today. But she certainly isn't in the right mood." The pink-haired woman sent him a dark glare before the older man shrugged, "But I digress. We all know that's not what you came here for today."

"It is not." The leader said as he motioned to the body over the ninja's shoulder, "Is that him?"

"Yeah. When you came to us and asked us to capture this guy to bring to you, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. To hear he was making a giant magic tool to resurrect Zeref was quite the surprise."

"Yes. And despite my efforts to acquire his assistance before, Hades continuously interfered and stated I could not make contact with him as long as this plan was in motion. I was hoping you and your team would be able to capture him before Hades was alerted to our actions."

"Wasn't quite sure how we were going to handle ambushing a Wizard Saint and exfiltrating him to you. Fortunately, the same people that caused us so much trouble were also the people that put him down." Ikaruga's face twisted in anger at the reminder of the redhead that had countered her sword style, "Unfortunately..."

Danzō hefted the body off his shoulder and dropped him in the sand, showing him off for all to see. Jellal still had dried blood and bruises and the deep cut on his face hadn't healed at all. The blue-haired man's body was covered in a strange and uneven pattern that periodically glowed before dimming during his unconsciousness.

"Etherion poisoning."

"Yep." Danzō scratched the back of his head, "Not totally sure how he remained in one piece after being in the middle of that crazy blast but he's been glowing like that for a while now. And he won't wake up. We have a hard time telling if his heart is even beating sometimes."

"It is. I can hear it. Loud as day."

The staff-wielding man furrowed his eyes in annoyance at the unconscious form of their target, "He tampered with the blast from Etherion. That must be why it didn't go critical. It suits him. Even when I was teaching him magic he always tested and played with what he could barely control. It seems even after all this time he still kept that aspect."

"I'm sorry about the less than preferable condition we brought him back in." Danzō apologized, "If there is anything you need of us-"

"No. We're done." The leader of the Dark Mages pulled an envelope from his side and held it out for the mercenary, "Take your payment and go. If we are ever in need of your services again, we shall contact you."

The ninja and samurai shared a look before taking the money and walking off before anything else could be said. Considering one of the worst Dark Guilds in the world was right in front of them, they decided to leave before they changed their mind and did something nasty.

The white-haired woman walked around the side and watched the assassins leave before pouting, "That's it? I thought we were gonna kill them or something. Well this is even more boring than I thought."

The man with the snake over his shoulders nudged the unconscious body a little before looking up, "So what do we do now? We were gonna convince this guy to work with us and tell us everything we want to know, right? That or torture him until he did. But if he's basically in a coma then there's nothing we can do with him. I mean-like-we could still cut him up and do a ton of nasty stuff but that just seems excessive."

...

"Cobra, you're carrying him back to base. We leave at once."

"Seriously? But what are we gonna do with him?"

"We'll figure something out." The dark-skinned man muttered as he led his compatriots back to their guild, "We are on the brink of discovering our goal. Fulfilling our dream. And the last piece we need to complete that goal is in our grasp. Whatever we have to do...whomever we have to use...we'll find a way to fix him and get what is ours."

"Nirvana shall be ours. And then...there will be no one who can stand in our way."

########Titania and The Hunter

Part 3... Done

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